A Memorial Event

Recently, I was asked to be a part of a very special event. It was the the third year anniversary of a very brave soldier's death during active duty in Iraq. I was hired to capture memories and moments of the family's time together during this very significant and very personal event.

It was a rainy and dreary day. In my hour's drive to West Boylston, MA (the Soldier's hometown), I encountered torrential downpours and hail. Since it was raining, the family decided to hold their event inside a friend's home rather than in the cemetery, where it is usually held. Upon arriving in West Boylston, I first met the family who hired me. S & S and their little boy, Z who is just two days younger than my little boy, Eliot. S is also in the Army. He was in a vehicle with Kyle, our fallen American hero, and another fellow soldier who lost his life when an improvised explosive device detonated right near them. S lost both his legs in that tragic explosion, but more significantly, he lost two fellow soldiers. Friends. Brothers. I could see the heavy heart that S was carrying on this day as he knelt down in front of his late brother's grave stone while holding his little boy. It was heart wrenching. I honestly felt humbled to be in his presence. And of course, I never know what to say or how to react adequately in such sensitive situations.



We left the cemetery and continued to the home where the gathering was now being held. After just a short while, the rain let up and S, Kyle's mother, made the announcement that we were going to be moving back to the cemetery while the rain was at bay. They had purchased dozens of red, white and blue balloons to be used during a balloon release where Kyle's family and friends release balloons up into the sky, an act of sharing communal grief and sending emotional messages to the universe, to God, or whatever it is those family and friend's feel connected to and of course, for the kids, they believe they are going to Heaven.

We returned to the cemetery and I continued to watch and capture moments of grief, remembrance, and love as more and more of Kyle's friends and family arrived. At last, it was time for the Balloon release. Each person got a balloon. Green Day's Time of Your Life played on the radio and the dozens of balloons were slowly released up into the sky. As Kyle's friends and family watched the balloons float higher and higher, I saw more and more tears, hugs, and raw emotion. I kept it together at the time, but later that day, after I got home to my own family, I let out my own tears.

How often we take so much for granted. I wish it wouldn't take events like this to put life into perspective for me and I'm sure for others as well.

A special thanks to S&S, Kyle's Mom, Wife and Daughter, for letting me be a part of this special heart wrenching and heart warming experience. I hope that these photos will be cherished keepsakes that only keep you closer to Kyle and to each other.